Apparatus for dyeing tissues

Abstract

Apparatus for dyeing tissues sampled from a living body for the purpose of observing immunoreaction of the tissues has a dyeing tray with a plurality of plateaus arranged in parallel disposition. A slide is so placed over each plateau that a wedge-shaped gap of capillary dimension is formed between the plateau and the undersurface of the slide to which a sampled tissue is attached. A liquid drip surface and a liquid discharge port are formed at one end of the top surface of each plateau. A liquid delivery port is formed on a side wall of the tray so as to communicate with the liquid discharge port. The liquid delivery port and the drip surface are always exposed. A dyeing liquid or a rinsing liquid is dripped onto the exposed drip surface and spreads into the gap for dyeing the tissue or rinse the relevant parts. After the dyeing or rinsing, the used liquid is sucked and discharged by way of the liquid delivery port. Because of the exposure of the drip surface and the liquid delivery port, the operation is easy and the dyeing tray can also be used for manual dyeing. A bank between the liquid discharge port and the drip surface prevents direct flow of the liquid therebetween.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for dyeing tissues comprising: a base; and   a dyeing tray provided on the base for supporting thereon slides each having a piece of tissue attached to an undersurface thereof, said dyeing tray comprising;   a plateau having a flat top surface;   drip surface means for receiving a liquid thereon, said drip surface means being located adjacent to an end of said top surface and being lower than the top surface, said top surface having a declining region which is adjacent to the drip surface means and which gradually declines toward the drip surface means;   liquid discharge port means opening at said end of the top surface of the plateau and adapted to be connected to a suction source for discharging the liquid used on said plateau through the liquid discharge port;   a first bank provided on said top surface of the plateau and extending along said declining region of the top surface so as to form a partition between said declining region and said liquid discharge port means so as to prevent the liquid supplied on the drip surface means from flowing directly to said liquid discharge port means;   two second banks provided along two side edges of the plateau in regions adjacent to said first bank such that said declining region is located between said first bank and one of said second banks and said liquid discharge port means is disposed between said first bank and the other of said second banks; and   support means for supporting a slide above said plateau in such an attitude as to define a capillary gap between the top surface of the plateau and the undersurface of the slide, said support means being configured to position the slide so that the slide covers said plateau and said declining region but does not cover said drip surface means.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: liquid delivery port means opening in an upper surface of the dyeing tray and communicating with said liquid discharge port means through a passage in the dyeing tray, said liquid delivery port means being adapted to be connected to said suction source.   
     
     
       3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: wall means provided on said dyeing tray so as to surround said plateau, said wall means being configured to define a space surrounded thereby and having such a shape and a size as to receive said slide therein with edges of the slide closely adjacent to the wall means, whereby rapid evaporation of the liquid in the tray is prevented.   
     
     
       4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plateau is reduced in transverse width in an area thereof having said first and second banks. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein all of said banks have a height substantially equal to the height of the top surface of the plateau. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support means comprises said banks and support wall means erected in the vicinity of another end of the plateau. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said dyeing tray further comprises a liquid reservoir surrounding the plateau, and liquid supply recess means provided in the tray for communication with the reservoir. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: liquid dripping means for dripping a dyeing liquid;   carriage means for displacing the liquid dripping means to and away from a position above said drip surface means; and   rinsing means including a liquid supply tube and a liquid discharge tube disposed with a distance therebetween which is equal to a distance between said drip surface means and said liquid delivery port means, said liquid supply tube and said liquid discharge tube being movable so that the lower opening of the liquid supply tube will be directly above said drip surface means and said liquid discharge tube will be connected to said liquid delivery port, said rinsing means further including liquid supply means connected to said liquid supply tube, and liquid discharge means connected to said liquid discharge tube.   
     
     
       9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of dyeing liquid containers supported on said base alongside said dyeing tray;   a carriage movable horizontally above said base;   a drip tube and a suction-tube supported on said carriage so as to be displaceable horizontally therealong as well as vertically;   a liquid discharge tank provided in said base in a region within which said carriage is moved horizontally;   a rinsing container with a bottom, supported by said carriage above said liquid discharge tank so as to allow insertion of said drip tube or said suction tube into the rinsing container, selectively;   a gutter fixed to a side of the upper end of said rinsing container for causing a rinsing liquid supplied onto the gutter to flow into the rinsing container;   rinsing liquid supply means connected to said drip tube to cause the rinsing liquid to drip through the drip tube; and   said gutter extending from said rinsing container by a horizontal distance which is equal to the horizontal distance between the drip tube and the suction tube, said drip tube having a lower open end located at a higher level than a lower open end of said suction tube, whereby when the lower open end of the suction tube is inserted into the rinsing container the lower open end of the drip tube will be opposed to an end of the gutter.   
     
     
       10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the bottom of said rinsing container has a through hole therein. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for supplying the rinsing liquid or a buffer solution selectively through the drip tube.